Rail-splicing.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. A

JOHN w.- cum, on PHI ADELrHI PENNSYLVANIA- BAIL-SPLICING.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pat t d Jul 0, 1918.

Application filed November 22, 1917. serial No. 203 64. a 7

To all whom it may concern: 7 Be it known that I, JOHNWV. CLARK, a citizen of the United States residing at l hiladelphia, in the county of Philadelphia, Stateof Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail- .Splicings, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accom-- panying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My inventionrelates to splice bars and supports for the meeting ends of railway rails and has for its object to provide a simple and effective splice barand support for the meeting ends of such rails which will cqualizethe strength of and distribute the strain on the railway rails at the joints in a manner to prevent pounding by the wheels of the rolling equipment, at such joints. A further object of the invention is to provide a support for the meeting ends of railway rails which will support the rails directly at the meeting ends of the rails as strongly as they aresupported at the point x of entering the splice bar look. A further object of the invention is to provide a construction in which the splice bar and the support are so locked together that when the splice bar is bolted in place the support will become practically a part of the rail so that the strain on the support at the lock which is near the ends of the splice bar will be registered at the same time that it is registered at the center of the support or at the meeting ends of the rails so that the rail will receive the direct strain instead of its being received on some supporting means such, for instance, as a cross tie.

\Vith these and other objects hereinafter explained in view my invention consists in the construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings- Figure 1 is a side view of a splice bar and support embodying my invention, in position on the rails.

Fig. 2 is atop plan view of the supporting member shown in Fig. ,1. p

Fi 3 isa side view of. the supporting mem er Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view on line 7 HofFigland" T Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view on line 55 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings which show a preferred and practical embodiment of the invention E, E, indicates the two rails the meeting ends of which are to be supported and E E indicates the bases of these rails. D, .D, indicates the side members of the'sphce bar,

one on each side of the rail having their upper portions adapted to fit tightlybe tween the heads of the rails and their bases 7 E and-to be held in-position'by the usual bolts E passing through the rails, the

upper portions of the side members being.

made tapered or wedge shapedin cross sec tion as shown to insure a firm bearmg against the head and base of the rail. These side members are provided near their ends "wlth locking supporting portions 1), D,

extending inward beneath the basesof the rails to receive, between them andthe bases of :the. rails, the ends of the supporting member B, these portions D,'D", being provided at their innerends with upwardly extending lugs A A to enter the openings F, F in the ends of the supporting mem-;

bers.

The supporting member B is of substantially the same length as the side members and formed as shown with relatively thin ends adapted to fit between the bases E,'E, of the rails and the portions D, D, of the side members and has in these relatively thin ends openings F and F adapted to receive the lugs A, A, to form with these lugs a look by which the side members andthe supporting member will be held against relative movement. Midway between its ends the supporting member is maderelatively thick as shown at H, this thickened. portion being arranged with its center in line with the plane of the meeting ends of the rails,

and to insure proper bearing of this thickcned portion against the bases of the rails at the meeting point, the upper face of the supporting member is conoaved as shown at G, G so that the upper face of the sup porting member will be in contact with the and at its central thickened portion.

porting member B only near its ends and be 1 rail bases E, E, only at their end portions 1 ing at some distance from themeeting ends l" of the rails, the strain on'the railsatthe Y meeting point is distributed so as to be su's- 'i from the meeting" ers. and supporting member thus coacting to form a strong efiec r,

tained at points away points, the side mem tive truss or girder,

Having thus'described my invention what I claim is:

1. A splice bar and support for railway rails comprising side members adapted to be secured to the rails and a supporting member having a portion thereof adapted to bear against the bases-of the rails at their meeting point, the supporting member having openings there-in near its ends and the 'side members being provided with means for engaging said openings tolock the side members and supporting member against relative movement.

2. A splice bar and'support for railway rails comprising side members adapted to be secured to the rails, and a supporting member having its central portion adapted to support the meeting ends of the rails, said supporting member decreasing in thickness from its central portion toward its ends, the side members being provided at points distant from and not extending to the meeting ends of the rails, with means for supporting the end portions ofthe supporting member to sustain and distribute the strain on the central portion.

3. A splice bar and support for railway rails comprising side members secured to the rails having portions thereof extending inward beneath the rail bases near their ends only, and a supporting member beneath the rail bases having its ends resting on the inwardly extending portions of the side members between said inwardly extending portions and the rail bases and having its central portion adapted to support the rail bases at their meeting point, the upper face of the supporting member being concaved bases at their meeting point, said inwardly,

extending portions of the side members being provided with upwardly extending lugs and the supporting member being provided with openings to receive said lugs to lock the supporting memberagainst movement relative to the side members.

In testimony whereof I a'liix my signature this 19th day of November, 1917.

JOHN W. CLARK.

Copies 0! thin patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommiasioner e! Iatents,

Washington, 13.0." 

